


Mystery in the Ball Pit

by muchmoremajestic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, marvel tsum tsum - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:20:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29273865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muchmoremajestic/pseuds/muchmoremajestic
Summary: Prompt: Steve and Tony are called in to take care of an unusual problem, the local ball pit is apparently alive, and tsumming up a storm.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: POTS (18+) Stony Stocking 2020





	Mystery in the Ball Pit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dodo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dodo/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [Dodo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dodo/pseuds/Dodo) in the [stony_stocking_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/stony_stocking_2020) collection. 



“So the next global emergency is . . . here?” Tony asked, visor up and eyebrow raised. 

“Yes, Tony.”

“But this is a Chuck E. Cheese.”

Steve sighed. “Yes, it’s a Chuck E. Cheese’s but there’s something here we’ve been asked to investigate inside it.”

Confused, Tony followed Steve inside the Chuck E. Cheese. There was something off about the beeps and music from the arcade machines, the lights all on, the restaurant area still covered in trays of pizza and cups of soda like someone was just about to come back - but no one there. 

“Where is everyone?” 

“Evacuated already. Once the parents started yelling the staff quickly got everyone out.”

“Yelling? Evacuated? Steve what the hell is happening?” 

Steve said nothing, but walked over to the play place. Tony looked around. The plastic tubes and slides and nets connected in a colorful mix, the largest slide dropping its rider into the big ball pit. 

“What are we looking for -” Tony tried to ask before getting shushed by Steve. Steve quietly eyed the stairs near the ball pit, slowly climbing up. He motioned for Tony to join him. 

Tony stepped past a few loose balls from the ball pit, the red, green, purple and orange balls gently rolling as Tony took a step. 

Steve pointed to the ball pit. “What do you notice?” he whispered.

Tony glanced over the pit. “Looks like a basic ball pit. What’s wrong?”

“Look closer.” 

Tony looked again. The ball pit was pretty full, a small sea of red and blue balls out before him. _Wait._

Tony looked back to the ground at the loose balls and back to the ball pit. “Why are the balls only red and blue?” 

“Exactly.” 

The pair sat there in silence for a moment, a silence that was suddenly broken by movement within the pit. Or more accurately, movement _of_ the pit. The red and blue balls began to vibrate, and a series of mumbling began to sound out from the pit. 

“Tsum?”

“Tsu-”

“Tsum tsum tsum!”

Steve and Tony both jumped back as the balls began to uncurl and what should have been a pit of plastic balls turned into a pit of chirping beans that looked suspiciously familiar. 

“Why do they look like us, Steve?”

The blue beans looked like Steve in uniform, head wings and all, small shields getting put on their backs. The red ones looked like the Iron Man armor. 

“Don’t know, but this is why they called us - specifically you and me - in.” 

“What are they?” Tony asked.

“Tsum tsum tsum tsum!” 

“Tsum tsum!”

“I don’t know, but they are pretty cute.” 

Tony put his visor down and began to scan the ball pit. “Okay, alien life. Small, there’s a few dozen here, they’re actually just resting above the actual ball pit. No detections of venom or poisons.” Tony reached forward and put a hand out to the ball pit. One of the creatures that looked like his armor crawled over and into his hand. 

The creature fit right into the palm of his hand, and while Tony was still a bit nervous the creature seemed perfectly content. 

“Tsum,” it said. 

Out of the corner of Tony’s eye he watched Steve reach over and pick up a blue one. It sat in his hand and wiggled the little head wings in delight. 

“Tsum tsum!” 

“I guess we could call them that for now? Tsums?” Tony proposed. 

“Yeah, I guess so. But what are we going to do with them?” 

“Gotta get them out of here and back to the Tower. But how are -” Tony got cut off by the little red tsum jumping out of his hand and bouncing over to the restaurant area. It hopped up the chairs and to the table, where it immediately started to gobble up pizza. 

“Jarvis, keep scanning that one. Is he okay, can he even eat that?” 

“I’ll keep an eye out, sir,” Jarvis replied from inside Tony’s helmet. 

The visor snapped up. “We need to get them all out of this ball pit. But some of them are pretty far back. . .”

Steve sighed. “You want me to go into the ball pit, don’t you?” 

Tony laughed, “Listen I’m in my suit, it’s too heavy I might accidentally squish one of these tiny guys!” 

“You’re just making an excuse, you want to watch me scramble around in there.”

Tony flashed a mischievous smile. “Maybe. But we’ll be here all night waiting for these little guys to crawl over here themselves. Hop to it. I’ll go get the other one.” 

Steve begrudgingly eased himself into the pit. 

“Tsum tsum sum tsum!” 

“Tsum tsum tsum!

“Tsum!”

“Excuse me, sorry, watch out, apologies,” Steve said as he pushed his way into the ball pit. Steve carefully picked up some of the tsums in his arms as he shuffled to the back of the pit. The tsums gently clinged onto his uniform, and a little chorus of “tsum! Tsum!” followed him as he wandered around. As he continued to gather up tsums the colorful balls of the pit were revealed more and more. Steve continued to shepherd the tsums back to the entrance, and as he turned around he saw Tony, tsum on one shoulder, visor up, with a slice of pizza in one hand and his phone recording in the other.

“This is delightful,” Tony said, biting into the slice. “You all look so precious.” 

“Thanks for the help, Tony,” Steve replied dryly. Tony laughed.

“Oh, don’t give me that look. And I brought over pizza. I’m helping.” Tony kneeled down and opened a box of pizza, showing it off to the tsums. “Here, babies. Come here! It’s pizza time.” 

The tsums not on Steve quickly scrambled over to the edge of the ball pit as Tony put his phone down and extended a hand to pluck the tsums out and put them down by the pizza. 

“J said they seem fine to eat this.”

“Tsum tsum!” 

“Tsum tsum tsum!” the tsums all replied, some happily beginning to bite into the pizza. 

“Need a hand?” Tony reached out and pulled Steve and the tsums out of the pit. They moved to the floor, spreading out the leftover pizza around as the tsums all chowed down.

“When you said ‘global emergency’ I didn’t think we’d be having an impromptu pizza party,” Tony said, putting his visor down to do a quick scan over the tsums. “Oh! They have skeeball! Want to go play a round while your buddies eat?” Tony asked over his shoulder to the tsum sitting there. 

“Tony - “

“Tsum tsum!” 

“I’m taking that as a yes,” Tony said with a smile, as he walked over to the skeeball machines. 

Steve sighed and looked down at the floor around him as the tsums continued to munch away. Sure, they were still going to have to sort out who these little guys were, but even Steve had to admit they were pretty cute.


End file.
